In short: Well organised, undulating, nice medalIn full: First marathon, had a great 1st lap despite crowded (but friendly) start but slowed down a fair bit towards the end - found last 5 1/2 miles on the greenway tough.

View from the top of the 8/18 mile hill beautiful as was the weather. Lots of water but got squeezed onto side of the road by cars in a few places. Crowd support very good given rural setting. Maybe london next year...

In short: Very hard to fault the organisation, well marshalled and friendly!In full: This was my second time on the full marathon so I knew what to expect. Nice scenery, views, support all the way round and I always like to finish in a park where there's something going on.

The only downside of this event is the fact that there is a lot of traffic in places and that some of the locals don't seem to support the event as much as others sometimes to the point of obstructing the race.Date of review: May 8, 2006

In short: Well organised and marshalled.In full: The earlier start made a lot of sense. Those long straight sections on the Greenway without a mile marker in sight are not pleasant.Date of review: May 8, 2006

In short: Great race, great scenery, but hugely expensive for a medal and a bananaIn full: This was my first ever half marathon last year and at the time I thought it was expensive not to get a T-shirt. Now that I've completed numerous 10k and half marathons since and received a T-shirt even though they've cost me a third of the price of the Shakespeare, I was shocked that the price had gone up and STILL no T-shirt! I gave in this year and bought one, but feel pretty miffed at that.I'm sure there were more runners this year and the atmosphere was great, although the usual walkers at the front made it a torturous affair getting a decent start through the narrow streets.Once again the scenery was great and the earlier start made for a much more comfortable, cooler run than last year.I set a pb, half an hour faster than last year (!!!), so really pleased with that.Date of review: May 8, 2006

In short: Nice course, but this is a very expensive raceIn full: I enjoyed my race and gor a PB, but I think it's expensive for what you get. I've never been a fan of medals instead of T'Shirts, especially when the oreganisers try to flog the T-Shirts at the finish area. Also, for the money they should use timing chips instead of getting times wrong for most of the field.On the plus side, the organisation on the roads and drinks stations is really goodDate of review: May 8, 2006

In short: Good organisation, shame about the railwayIn full: First time here, and very enjoyable. Extremely well organised (except perhaps for the crowded start which has been commented on previously). Nice crowd support - special thanks to the Jaffa Cake Lady ("You're looking fantastic!").Good running weather and a great day out.

Also a mention for the First aiders: an oldish chap was obviously in distress at the finish - within seconds the first aiders were there, within 5 mins a doctor was present and he was stretchered away. Hope he is ok, but well done the medics.